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It’s official! Missy Elliott will be the first woman rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
“CBS This Morning” announced the historic news on Saturday with the Hall of Fame deeming Elliott as “a groundbreaking solo superstar, pioneering songwriter-producer and across-the-board cultural icon.”
Elliott has earned five Grammy awards and blazed a trail as the only woman rapper to have all six studio albums be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Carving out her own lane in the music industry for 20-plus years, Elliott has also written hits for other women artists such as Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, and Ciara.
“I want to CONGRATULATE all the AMAZING songwriters who have been inducted into the 2019 ‘Song Writers Hall of Fame,'” Elliott wrote on her Instagram page. “Also those who were nominated because their body of work is AMAZING. I AM SO HUMBLY GRATEFUL to now be inducted also.”
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When Elliott is officially inducted on June 13 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, she will also become the third rapper to join the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She follows Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri, who were inducted in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2019 also includes songwriters Dallas Austin, Tom T. Hall, John Prine, Jack Tempchin and Yusuf/Cat Stevens.